![]() From there, you’ll enjoy a guided 90-minute walking tour of the island to learn about its history and legacy before being ferried back to the mainland. All of the experiences offered by the Trust below cost $40 per person.įrom Beacon Station, cross the tracks to the river, and you’ll find a dock where you can meet the Estuary Steward, a boat that will take you on a 30-minute ride down the river to the island. There are a few different ways to experience the wonder of Pollepel Island and Bannerman Castle yourself other than the Bannerman's Island Cruise and Walking Tour package. How to Experience Bannerman Castle Flower beds around the ruins planted by Bannerman Castle Trust. The island fell out of use and memory until 1993, when the Bannerman Castle Trust took over its stewardship. Then a second disaster occurred: In 1969, a fire of mysterious origins burned for three days and nights, gutting the remaining arsenals on Pollepel. Though Francis’s progeny continued operations into the 1960s, the island fell into disuse and was sold to the State of New York in 1967. Bannerman herself narrowly escaped death-when she came back outside, a chunk of the building was nestled in the hammock she’d just been lying in. Meanwhile, a spontaneous spark ignited the powder in one of the arsenals, causing a massive explosion that boomed across the area, shattering windows as far north as Poughkeepsie. One summer day in 1920, Francis’ widow, Helen, was relaxing on a hammock in front of the main house and went in for a glass of iced tea. (Jenna Scherer) Inside, learn about the history of the island and castle. A view of the remaining arsenals at Bannerman Castle. The grandest-and the one most prominently viewable today-was Arsenal 3, modeled after a castle he’d seen on a trip to Belgium. His warehouses were situated in Brooklyn and Manhattan until the city government intervened for the sake of public safety, and he had to find a new place to store his munitions.īannerman was a castle enthusiast, and he built the island’s four arsenals in their image. Bannerman started what would eventually become a booming military surplus business when he was only 12 years old. Pollepel remained Taft’s until Francis Bannerman, the son of Scottish immigrants, bought it in 1900. A foundation stone from a house of the Clan Macdonald in Scotland. Fed up with the drunken carousing, a local teetotaler named Mary Taft bought the island in 1888. As such, it became a prime spot for ne’er-do-wells to live it up away from the mainland. Though it was owned by wealthy local families on and off, no one lived on Pollepel. ![]() Legend has it the island was believed to be haunted. As far as archaeologists know, Native Americans never lived on the island, which at the time was a barren rock with no sources of food, but likely used as a lookout. Before European settlers arrived in North America, the banks of the Hudson were inhabited by members of the Lenni-Lenape, Algonquin, and Wappinger tribes. Pollepel Island was formed 10,000 years ago during the last ice age, and it has spent most of those millennia uninhabited. A Brief History of Pollepel Island Pollepel Island on the Hudson River. The best reason to visit Bannerman, however, is to learn about the unusual history of the island. Any of these will give you ample opportunity to explore both the island’s natural and manmade features. You can take a combination cruise and walking tour, a kayak tour, or pair a self-guided tour with a live concert (all $40 per ticket). In addition to the MTA package, The Bannerman Castle Trust offers regular tours of the island between May and November. Once you arrive, the Beacon Institute Dock where you’ll meet the boat to Bannerman is a short walk from the station. It’s a beautiful ride on the Hudson Line from Manhattan to Beacon. Best of all, the experience is easily reachable via Metro-North, and there's even an MTA Bannerman Castle Cruise and Walking Tour package. Today, the island is a thriving destination for history and nature buffs alike. Unlike many crumbling ruins, which are often closed to the public, you can actually visit this one-and learn plenty of Hudson Valley history while you’re at it. (Jenna Scherer)īut this isn't the Danube, this is Pollepel Island, a 6.5-acre island in the shadow of Storm King Mountain that was once home to the largest military surplus arsenal of its age. Bannerman Castle with Mount Beacon in the distance. ![]() If you’ve taken the Metro-North Hudson Line upstate, odds are you’ve glanced out the train window and seen a curious sight: a small, rocky island in the middle of the Hudson River, topped with what appears to be the ruins of a European castle.
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